Life expectancy at birth is one of the most powerful summary statistics in development economics. It captures the combined effects of healthcare access, nutrition, sanitation, and public health investment. Japan leads the world at over 84 years, while several Sub-Saharan African countries remain below 60. This comparison tracks how life expectancy has improved — and where progress has stalled.
Key Data Points
United States, India, Japan, Switzerland, South Africa, Nigeria, China -- GDP per capita ($), Life expectancy, Population, Health spend (% GDP)
United States
$70,249
India
$2,818.03
Japan
$34,713.25
Switzerland
$111,046.89
South Africa
$6,666.71
Nigeria
$1,199.62
China
$13,806.03
United States
78.9 years
India
72.2 years
Japan
84 years
Switzerland
84.4 years
South Africa
66.3 years
Nigeria
54.6 years
China
78 years
United States
341,698,000 persons
India
1,463,866,000 persons
Japan
123,291,000 persons
Switzerland
9,029,000 persons
South Africa
63,957,000 persons
Nigeria
237,577,000 persons
China
1,405,080,000 persons
United States
16.7%
India
3.3%
Japan
10.7%
Switzerland
11.7%
South Africa
8.9%
Nigeria
4.2%
China
5.9%